“My lil bully” - Shubman Gill’s sister shares heartwarming birthday wish for Indian batter ahead of Asia Cup 2025

Star batter Shubman Gill’s sister, Shahneel Gill, shared a heartfelt birthday wish as the Indian Test captain turned 26 on Monday, September 8. The right-hander will next feature in the Asia Cup 2025, set to begin on Tuesday, September 9.

To celebrate his 26th birthday, Shahneel posted a picture on her Instagram story with a special caption:

“Happiest birthday nikke. Love You always my lil bully.”

Shahneel Gill's heartwarming birthday wish for Shubman Gill (Image via Instagram-@shahneelgill)

Shubman Gill will serve as the deputy to Suryakumar Yadav in the Asia Cup 2025. India have been placed in Group A alongside hosts UAE, with their campaign starting on Wednesday, September 10, in Dubai. They will then face arch-rivals Pakistan on Sunday, September 14, also in Dubai, before concluding the group stage with a clash against Oman on Friday, September 19, in Abu Dhabi.

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“Signs are there that they are looking at him” - Former India spinner’s massive statement on Shubman Gill

Speaking on Cricbuzz on Monday, September 8, former India cricketer Murali Kartik reflected on Shubman Gill’s rise to the role of T20I vice-captain after recently being appointed as India’s full-time Test captain. Kartik noted that these developments indicate the team management is grooming Gill as a potential all-format leader. He said:

“Gil's come back into the shortest format. We all know that he has been elevated as the Test captain. We saw how good a series that was for a young captain in England, and he has been elevated as the vice-captain of the T20 side behind Suryakumar Yadav, which means that he's going to be playing in the XI. We saw how good he was with Gujarat Titans and how good a player he is. So, what sort of value addition is it going to be for Suryakumar Yadav? Again, there is a Test captain, he's the vice-captain of the T20 side. Is it a help or is it going to be a bit of an encumbrance? We will find out.”

“But again, he has had an understanding with Gautam Gambhir over the last two or three months. Suryakumar himself has won, so it's going to be interesting. And not to forget that being an opener in the shortest format, will he open in the side? And also, do India look at him as an all-format captain? I think that is something which we will find out over the course of time. But again, signs are there that they are looking at him like that,” he added.

The 26-year-old has played 113 matches for India across formats, scoring 6,000 runs at an impressive average of 46.15, which includes 25 fifties and 18 centuries.